It
is not often that rainforest can be blamed as a
threat to the survival of an animal, but in the
case of a small wallaby-like animal called the
Northern Bettong (Bettongia tropica); the
spread of rainforest into its preferred habitat
of drier eucalypt forest is squeezing it out.

This Bettong is closely related to the
Brush-tailed Bettong or Woylie from W.A. Like
its western relative, the Northern Bettong has a
fondness for truffles (underground fungi). In
fact it is thought to be the only specialist
‘tropical truffle eating mammal’ in Australia.

Bettongs are Rabbit sized marsupials that were
once found across large areas of Australia.
However, like many small, ground living native
animals, they have become rare due to the twin
forces of habitat destruction and predation by
introduced animals such as cats and foxes.

The
Northern Bettong only occurs in a few isolated
forests on the Western edge of the Wet Tropics
Region near Cairns and is regarded as an
endangered species. Past and present land
management practices including inappropriate
fire regimes, logging and grazing are causing
the spread of rainforest into its habitat and
this is regarded as a key threatening process to
the bettongs continued survival.

As
part of the effort to save the Northern Bettong,
a captive management plan has been devised and
animals are being held and bred in a number of
Queensland wildlife parks. The management
program that is being coordinated through the
David Fleay Wildlife Park, will ensure a captive
population is available for study, maintaining
the genetic diversity of the species, and
possibly for release in the future.

Brisbane Forest Park has been a part of the
captive management program for 12 months now and
has already had a successful breeding of the
species. Whilst Bettongs are nocturnal,
secretive species, they are on display in the
Walk-about Creek Wildlife Centre and lucky
visitors may get a glimpse of them. Better
still, if you want to discover more about this
unique species and the other residents of
Walk-about Creek, book on to our activity
“Evening With the Animals” on Saturday the 13th
of October 2001

*********************

This
article was
printed with kind permission from Brisbane
Forest Park and the authors. This
article first appeared in the Spring 2001
edition of their quarterly newspaper the “Bush
Telegraph”.

Brisbane Forest Park is found at 60 Mt. Nebo
Road, The Gap, Queensland and can be contacted
on (07) 3300 4855